Cold Hands, Cold Heart
by BaddestWolf
Summary: Arthur, Merlin and Gwaine set out to hunt a wolf terrorizing the forest outside of Camelot. When they have to make camp for the night, Gwaine starts acting strange and Arthur gets jealous. Merlin/Arthur/Gwaine ot3


"Can't you get someone else to do it?" Merlin whined as he stuffed a blanket into the bag he was holding.

"Not if I want it dealt with quickly," Arthur assured him without bothering to look up from his plate of potatoes, "And it's not like I can justify sending an entire garrison of knights after one mangy wolf, no matter how much livestock he attempts to kill."

Merlin shrugged and continued shoving things in his bag. Arthur was the king, and if he wanted to go hunting, Merlin wasn't going to be able to stop him. At least he'd have a little bit of company this time, as Gwaine had insisted he should go with them.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and Gwaine poked his head through. A chunk of his hair fell into his eyes when he smiled. "I thought you'd be ready by now. There's only a few hours of daylight left and I want to go find this thing." He sauntered into the room and stole one of Arthur's potatoes before leaning his hands on the table. "Eat fasser, Ardurth," he managed as he chewed.

Arthur looked at his plate with new-found disgust and pushed it away from him. "You know, I actually think I'm done."

Gwaine grinned and winked at Merlin, who had his hand covering his mouth so he wouldn't laugh. Merlin turned away to search the closet for Arthur's cloak, still somewhat baffled by the way Gwaine had been treating him recently. They'd always been great friends, but in the past month or so, Gwaine's mannerisms had changed just enough to make Merlin suspect….He pushed the thought from his mind and laid Arthur's cloak on the bed. When he turned back around Arthur was almost finished lacing his boots.

Not more than a half hour later the three of them had swung up onto their horses and were riding out toward the main gate. It was mid-January and the air was frigid, without any warmth leftover from the holidays. A thin layer of snow still coated the ground and the sky was gray above them. Merlin snuggled into his neckerchief as he rode behind Arthur and Gwaine, who were engaged in some sort of petty tactical argument.

When they approached the gate, the guards opened it automatically and waved them through.

"Merlin," Arthur's voice jolted him from drowsily watching the countryside pass by. "Merlin, you haven't listened to a word I've said, have you."

Merlin opened his mouth to assure Arthur he had, of course, been listening, but he closed it again before he could bring himself to speak. Gwaine hid a smirk as Arthur rolled his eyes. "God, you're useless. I want to be done with this by nightfall. The weather's been bitter all week, and I don't want to have to make camp unless we don't have a choice."

"Uh-huh," Merlin replied lamely. He'd been listening; he just really didn't have anything to say.

Gwaine lifted a hand and pointed to the edge of the forest. "Most of the reports we could verify were from that direction, through the forest over there."

"Then that's the way we'll go," Arthur said as he kicked his horse toward the line of trees.

Merlin thought the forest felt strange in winter. There was no layer of leaves padding the ground, just a light film of snow on cold dirt. He didn't like seeing the trees bare; they made him feel like everything was dead. He shivered against the wind and pulled his cloak tighter around him. Gwaine had been riding next to him for a while and noticed him shivering. "Cold, Merlin?"

Merlin nodded and Gwaine shot him a warm smile, then pulled something from his saddlebag. He tossed the extra pair of gloves at Merlin. Merlin was so surprised when they hit him in the chest that he almost dropped them. He slipped them on and flexed his fingers, well aware that they were a little too big for him. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it. You're not good for much if your hands freeze off. Who will bring Arthur his dinner?" Gwaine nudged his horse closer to Merlin's so he could reach over and tousle his hair. "Right?"

"Mhhmm," Merlin mumbled, eyeing Gwaine warily. He was considering asking a stupid question when Arthur's horse came to an abrupt halt in front of them and he held up a hand. At first they thought he'd heard something, but once their eyes swept around, they saw it, too. The bloody remains of a deer that had been torn to shreds were scattered across the ground and at the bases of trees for more than a few dozen yards.

Arthur slid off his horse and crouched down to inspect something that might have been a leg. Gwaine and Merlin followed suit, but as soon as he got near the 'leg', Merlin was fighting the urge to gag and he turned away.

"It's still warm," Arthur noted flatly.

Gwaine let his hand hover inches from the mess. "In this weather, it can't have been here more than a few hours, then." He stood up and ran his hands through his hair as he looked around.

"Most of the big pieces are over there," Merlin piped in quietly. He was still trying not to be sick.

Gwaine followed Merlin's line of sight. "Arthur, he's right." Without bothering to see if anyone was coming with him, Gwaine marched of in the direction of the bigger pieces.

Arthur sighed and followed after him, catching up after only a few steps. Merlin glanced back at the horses, confused, but then ran after Arthur and Gwaine. Gwaine was crouched over something twenty times more disgusting than before by the time that Merlin caught up with them.

"I've never seen anything torn apart like this," Gwaine said, narrowing his eyes. "I don't like it."

Arthur was going to agree with him, but a sudden gust of wind caught him off guard and he took the time to straighten out his cloak and pull it against him. He glanced warily around at the trees, then up at the sky. "How long have we been out here?"

"Too long. It's the darkest part of the year," Gwaine responded without thinking. "Even if we leave now, it'll be long past nightfall by the time we reach Camelot."

Arthur's eyes fell on the clump of flesh in front of him. He rubbed his eyes and leaned against a tree. "Well, with _that_ thing running around out here, we can't just go blindly wandering in search of it after dark. The safest option would be to make camp back by the horses, in that clearing. We could start searching again at dawn."

Merlin groaned. He really didn't want to spend a frozen night on the snowy ground, waiting to be eaten and dismembered by a crazed wolf. No, that plan didn't appeal to him at all.

"What, Merlin?" Arthur asked, looking annoyed.

"I just…It's cold. And there's a wolf."

"Once again, you've proven spectacular at stating the obvious," Arthur threw up his hands and started trudging back through the trees towards the clearing.

Gwaine stood up and dusted off his hands. He threw his arm over Merlin's shoulder. "Don't worry about the wolf. We can take it."

When they started back after Arthur, Gwaine kept his arm around Merlin. "To be honest, the wolf might be scarier, but the cold is definitely going to be more unpleasant," Merlin confided, wiggling his nose to try and get some of the feeling back in his face.

"You're probably right," Gwaine announced with a shrug, "But I can protect you from that, too."

Merlin blinked, unable to come up with a witty response. He might've been right about Gwaine's change in demeanor after all. He smiled to himself as they reached the clearing, where Arthur was already sitting down, leaning against a tree and chomping into an apple.

"That took a while. Merlin, get started on a fire," Arthur commanded through bites of his apple.

"Of course, sire." Merlin casually slipped out from under Gwaine's arm and started gathering firewood. Gwaine tied up the horses before going to sit down next to Arthur. He pulled a piece of bread from his bag and nibbled on it as he watched Merlin off in the distance.

When Merlin returned with an armful of the driest sticks he could find, he dropped them on the other edge of the clearing, far from where Arthur and Gwaine were laughing about something. He sat down next to the pile of sticks and arranged them. He pulled off Gwaine's gloves so he could light the fire with magic and warm his hands. Once his hands felt like there was actually blood running through them again, he shoved the gloves back on and got up.

"The fire's started," He told Arthur.

"Good. Why'd you put it all the way over there?"

"Oh. Um, the trees are a bit thicker there, so it's not as windy," Merlin explained. Arthur narrowed his eyes but didn't comment.

Merlin grabbed his pack from the horse's saddle and went over to snuggle into the alcove of a tree near the fire. He pulled out a sandwich and ate it quietly. For a second he swore he heard twigs snapping behind him and he tensed, but when he looked up it was just Arthur and Gwaine coming over to the fire.

By this time the cloudy gray of the day had faded into the charcoal of late dusk, and the wind was beginning to cut like knives. Arthur and Gwaine sat close to the fire and talked for a bit. Merlin was just far enough away from them to not be able to make out their conversation. Once night had completely fallen, they stood up and Arthur went over to retrieve something from the horses. Gwaine came over to Merlin and leaned against the tree next to him.

"What is it?" Merlin asked when Gwaine gave him a goofy look.

"Nothing. Arthur's going to go to sleep," He motioned over his shoulder at Arthur, who was unrolling a set of blankets. "I'm going to take first watch, so you can rest, too, if you'd like."

Merlin gazed at the fire for a second before responding, "I'm actually not ready to go to bed yet. I might stay up with you for a while."

"What, you don't think I can take the wolf on my own?" Gwaine said, feigning distress.

"Yes, that's it exactly," Merlin told him nonchalantly as he pulled his own blanket out of his bag and wrapped it around his body.

"Ugh, Merlin, I'm hurt," Gwaine pouted and sat down next to Merlin, circling his arms around his knees. They sat like that in silence for a bit, just listening to the fire crackle. Gwaine felt a shiver run down his spine and couldn't stop himself from shaking. Merlin glanced at him for a second, then lifted one corner of the blanket in his direction.

As soon as Gwaine slid under the fabric, Merlin could feel the heat radiating off of his body. Involuntarily, he leaned in and rested his head on Gwaine's shoulder. Gwaine's breath hitched in his throat and he nuzzled his chin against the top of Merlin's head.

"Merlin…." Gwaine started, but he didn't really know how to say what he was thinking. Merlin cut him off anyway, "Thanks for protecting me from the cold." This was mumbled into Merlin's neckerchief, but Gwaine heard it clearly. He slipped his arm around Merlin's back and pulled him closer. Merlin didn't resist, but he picked his head up to look at Gwaine.

"Don't look at me like that," Gwaine complained and averted his eyes.

"Like what?" Merlin asked, legitimately curious.

"You always look so happy, and innocent…..and oblivious," Gwaine mumbled. "Damn it all," He added suddenly before he pulled Merlin against him and kissed him hungrily. It took a few seconds for Merlin's brain to catch up with the situation, but by the time it did he already found himself melting into Gwaine's kisses. He made a mental note that the only part of his body that was cold now was his nose.

Gwaine pulled back and leaned his head against the tree. "I've wanted to do that for a very long time."

"Then why didn't you?" Merlin said before he could stop himself.

Gwaine grinned and pulled Merlin towards him again with the arm he had around his waist. "I see the way you look at him. It's rather obvious, actually."

"At who?" Merlin replied innocently.

"Yeah, _at who,_" Gwaine rolled his eyes and kissed Merlin again. He slid his fingers across the edge of Merlin's shirt. Merlin sucked in a breath as Gwaine's cold fingers worked their way under the fabric and across his skin. Gwaine smiled against Merlin's lips.

"This was how you were planning on keeping me warm all along, wasn't it?"

"Maybe," Gwaine said as he pressed kisses along Merlin's neck. His hands were wandering across Merlin's chest and abdomen. "Could you stand to be a little warmer?"

The distinct sound of a snapping twig subsequent shuffling echoed around them and they both looked up. Gwaine was already reaching for his sword. But it was just Arthur, wandering bleary-eyed in their direction. They extricated themselves from eachother except for the blanket on their shoulders.

Arthur was dragging his blankets behind him. "What are you still doing up, Merlin?" Without waiting for a reply, he moved on to his secondary thought. 'It's too cold to sleep over there. Should've stayed by the fire." Still half asleep, he slumped down next to Merlin and they collectively adjusted all the blankets so everyone was sufficiently covered.

Arthur mumbled something incoherent and then cuddled up against Merlin's side. Merlin held his breath and turned to Gwaine, eyes wide. Gwaine pushed the hair out of his face and laughed, nudging Merlin in the side. Merlin jumped enough to elicit a reaction from Arthur, who wrapped his arm around Merlin and put his face in the hollow of his servant's neck. Arthur was ice-cold and Merlin pulled the blanket tighter. Gwaine leaned over and whispered something in Merlin's ear. Merlin looked abashed, but the tingle of Gwaine's breath in his ear had made him giddy.

Merlin secured the blankets around Arthur and managed to move him so that he was still nestled against Merlin, but Merlin was no longer pinned down. As soon as he was free, Gwaine slid a hand across Merlin's leg and eyed him lustily. Merlin leaned over to kiss him, but Gwaine took the opportunity to push Merlin against the tree and sit in front of him. Arthur grumbled and rolled over in his sleep.

Merlin didn't even have a chance to respond before Gwaine's hands were under his shirt again, but this time they were pushing it up over his head. He felt a slight chill when the air hit his skin but it vanished under a rush of warmth when Gwaine slid his fingers through the lacing on Merlin's pants and tugged them off his hips.

Gwaine lowered his head with a grin and Merlin gasped at how warm it was inside Gwaine's mouth. Merlin had just enough time to think _Wow, he knows what he's doing_ before he let out a groan. It was just loud enough to wake Arthur, who rolled back toward Merlin and Gwaine and his eyes snapped open when he realized what was going on. Merlin had his hands covering his face and Gwaine was more sheepish than Arthur had ever seen him.

"What the hell are you doing to my servant, Gwaine?"

Gwaine looked down at Merlin then back up to Arthur. "Pretty much what it looks like…..Keeping warm?"

"Keeping warm?" Arthur reached over and pulled Merlin's hands from his face. "I _am _still the king, right?"

"….Yes," Merlin said without meeting Arthur's eyes.

"Kings don't get cold? Is that the assumption here?"

"No, not at all, I just thought…" Gwaine started but Arthur held up a hand and sighed.

"I know what you _thought_. You were wrong." Arthur laid his hand gingerly on Merlin's stomach for a second and then asked him to sit up. Merlin did, and he found that a few tiny sticks and brambles had found their way into his hair. Arthur sat on his knees and pulled Merlin towards him as Gwaine watched warily. He pulled the sticks out of Merlin's hair and kissed his neck.

"Arthur, you shouldn't be-"

"Shut up, Merlin. Unless you're planning on telling me you don't want me to do this, you can just _shut up_." Arthur slid his hands across Merlin's skin as he kissed his neck, across his shoulders and down his back. Merlin didn't say a word as Arthur pushed him forward. He caught himself on his hands. He stared up at Gwaine, who was watching with increased interest.

Merlin was too busy trying to get Gwaine to come over to notice the shuffling behind him until he felt Arthur's fingers prodding at him softly. He let out a little moan. In response, Arthur called Gwaine over, "I could use your help for a second."

Gwaine's eyes lit up and he scrambled over to Arthur, who ordered the knight to his knees. This hadn't been what he was expecting. He dropped to his knees anyway, taking Arthur into his mouth with the same care and precision he'd used on Merlin. Arthur gasped and bucked into the back of Gwaine's throat a few times before sliding out of his mouth and focusing his attention on Merlin again. "Lubricant," Arthur said by way of explanation. Gwaine took a few seconds to rid himself of most of his clothes, then went over to whisper in Merlin's ear. The servant shivered visibly, and Arthur, who had become increasingly jealous of Gwaine's effect on Merlin, pushed himself into his servant with no warning. Merlin groaned and glared back at Arthur for a second before they fell into a slow rhythm.

Once Merlin had become used to the force, he glanced over at Gwaine, who came and knelt in front of Merlin suggestively. Between Arthur's thrusts, Merlin opened his mouth to let out a whine, but it was silenced by Gwaine slipping himself in. It didn't take long at all before Gwaine came in Merlin's mouth and collapsed in a heap of blankets.

Arthur was becoming slightly more desperate, and Merlin leaned back against him, panting. Merlin groaned and grabbed at Arthur's arm, shuddering. Arthur came a few thrusts later and pulled away from Merlin. "Warm now?"

"Very," Merlin mumbled, his face still flushed. He crawled over and slid his pants back on, then curled up next to Gwaine.

Arthur took his time putting his clothes on, then draped his thickest blanket over his shoulders. "Guess I've got the next watch," he commented to no one in particular, and wandered closer to the fire.

Gwaine shifted next to Merlin and woke from his half-sleep state. "Merlin?"

"Yeah, Gwaine, I'm here."

Gwaine pushed himself up onto one shoulder and stared down at Merlin. "What the hell was that? All of that?"

"Keeping warm?" Merlin suggested with a sigh. "On one hand, I'm ecstatic, but I can't help feeling used."

"I know you want it to mean something, Merlin, but he was just fucking. You know that, right?"

"I was trying not to think about it," Merlin whispered with a frown, "So what was it _you _were doing?"

"Ah, well I was fucking, too."

Merlin's face dropped until Gwaine caught him under the chin and forced him to meet his gaze. He was grinning. "But I also happen to be in love with you."

'I'm cold again," Merlin admitted as he weaseled his way closer to Gwaine and laid his head on the knight's broad chest.

"Go to sleep, Merlin. We've got a monster to kill bright and early. I'll keep you warm."


End file.
